MLB Trade Rumors: Mets Need Holliday

The NY Mets are suffering through a stretch of injuries and poor play with no end in sight. You can live with injuries but the poor play shows that a change needs to be made. Recent history says Jerry Manuel's job is secure, so the Mets need to change their team dynamics with a big trade.

The Mets didn't have a lot of power even before Carlos Delgado went down, being a team loaded with role players and veterans. Manuel has been mentioning the need for more power in post game interviews. There are a few interesting candidates out there, including Nick Johnson, of the Nationals, Aubrey Huff of the Orioles and Carlos Lee of the last place Padres. Any of these players help fill the void of Delgado's absence, but a trade for Matt Holliday would really shake the team up, not only because of the tools he brings to the club, but because they would have to give up a good player or two to get him.

Holliday is not having the greatest season so far, but there's no reason to believe he won't go on a tear and bring his stats up before the end of the year. But the fear that he and his team will continue to be a bust this year, along with draft pick and financial scenarios in place, GM Billy Beane may very well pull the trigger on this move. The Mets GM Omar Minaya is in a position now that he needs to do something big to turn this year around and erase the memories of choking the last two years. Knowing Beanes penchant to pick up a few developing players for a star does play right in to the Mets hands.

Now the A's may want a combination of players including, Daniel Murphy, Jonathan Niese and or Bobby Parnell, something the teams could definitely work out. But here's what the Mets and A's should do. Trade Jose Reyes straight up for Holliday. Yes you heard it here first, superstar for superstar, just like in the good old days. With all the potential in the world, Reyes has not brought the Mets to playoff glory. The A's are built for the future and would love Reyes' speed. The Mets need a solid bat to secure their outfield for years to come. Yes, the Mets would still need to work out their first base issues, but it would change the team in the sense that they are trading a great player that was a big part of the teams failure to succeed last year. It immediately makes the team more respectable. And more importantly, it removes a player that cannot be counted on when push comes to shove and helps change the teams image as "chokers."

In the ideal scenario Alex Cora continues to fill in admirably at shortstop, Carlos Delgado comes back in the fall with a fresh bat, Matt Holliday takes the burden off of David Wright and Carlos Beltran then sparks his teammates to go on a run. The Mets take the NL East and we get past our recent failures with a strong playoff team. Tune in next week when I figure out what to do with Luis Castillo.